The Metropolitan (Metro) Government of Nashville and Davidson County has launched a paid family leave benefit for its employees.

The new benefit, which was approved unanimously by the Civil Service Commission on 11 July 2017, enables eligible Tennessee-based Metro Government employees to take approximately six weeks of paid leave on the birth or adoption of a child or in order to care for a seriously ill spouse, parent or child.

The paid leave, which has been implemented with immediate effect, is available to employees who have worked for the organisation for at least six months.

Metro Government investigated the feasibility of offering a paid family leave benefit in 2016 on the recommendation of the Metro Council. Megan Barry, mayor of the Metropolitan Government of Nashville and Davidson County, then confirmed in her 2017 State of Metro Address that she would ask the Civil Service Commission to consider implementing paid family leave for city employees. The mayor’s office worked with the Council on Gender Equity to research and make recommendations for the paid leave programme.

Barry said: “No parent, spouse, son or daughter should have to choose between providing care to their loved ones in their time of need or being forced to go without pay or quit their job. Paid family leave will help ensure our Metro employees don’t have to make that choice, while also helping Metro government recruit and retain great public servants.”